War Zone
by wolfmusic218
Summary: What if a moment in time between Reese and Carter over a decade ago changed Reese in a small but profound way? What if Carter didn't even know it ever happened? What if he finally tells her?


**Title:** War Zone

**Author:** wolfmusic218

**Summary:** What if a moment in time between Reese and Carter over a decade ago changed Reese in a small but profound way? What if Carter didn't even know it ever happened? What if he finally tells her?

**Author's notes:** The usual shout-outs to Chellero (for the beta, fangirling, emails! and the threats upon my person), to PiscesChikk (for the sometimes deep, sometimes not, Twitter chats, continually asking me if I'm done yet, and for basically putting up with me). To Barb (who will probably never read this) for our Friday night Starbuck's Decompression Sessions, for the great feedback and military info, and for being such a wonderful friend.

**Disclaimer: **None of this belongs to me...which is probably for the best. Oh, the things I'd make them do...

**Edited to say:** Thanks to Misery Loathes Company for the head's up. :)

* * *

_Well the sun sets gently on your shoulders_

_And it makes me want to touch you there_

_And the light in your eyes makes me feel_

_Like there's something much better out there_

_Something kind_

_- Vertical Horizon_

_**Afghanistan 2002**_

He stayed in the shadow of the tent as he watched her, feeling just a little like a creep. He had no idea how long he'd been there, but he couldn't leave. He didn't want to. There was something about her, something he wanted to know. She was smiling, laughing, playing with the Afghan children like they were her own. The lightness and joy they radiated were such rare commodities in his life that he couldn't help but be drawn to it. He was actually surprised he seemed to be the only one paying any attention.

In the grand scheme of things, this was such a small event but right now, to him, it didn't feel that way. He was sure things like this happened every day, but in his line of work he hadn't been lucky enough to hear the laughter of the children, to see them playing with no fear, see the hope in their eyes. It had always been the wails of mourning and the cries of fear. He liked this sound so much better. He felt lighter just being near it.

He also liked the view better. He couldn't help but run his eyes over her form as she moved around the children. She was petite...maybe just a little over five feet tall...and even covered by her dusty desert fatigues, he could tell she had an amazing body.

Her black hair was pulled back into a bun as per regulation; her large, dark eyes were smiling and her skin, the color of melted milk chocolate and glistening from the heat of the afternoon, just called out to be touched and he felt his fingers twitch. He felt ridiculous. He knew absolutely _nothing_ about her, not even her name since he couldn't see her name tape, but he wanted to. He _needed_ to know much more. Something in him, something he hadn't felt in ages, made him want to see her smile because of him.

He squatted down, leaning his back against the box behind him, and kept watching as the kids gathered around the woman and hugged her...and she them...and in Pashto told her thank you, we love you, and she returned the sentiment. He caught himself smiling at the sight and realized with a start that it was something he hadn't done in a long time. It was a welcome feeling.

As she directed the group to sit in a small circle, he watched as she taught them how to play Duck, Duck, Goose. One small child ran around the circle calling out duck, duck, duck...and when he got to the woman, he tugged on her bun, pulling it out, and yelled "goose!" She growled at him, laughing, and chased after him; the little boy screaming in glee the whole way around the circle. When she finally caught up to him she scooped him up in her arms and spun him around, both of them laughing full and loud.

It was the most beautiful thing he'd seen since he'd gotten to the sandbox.

As a soldier brushed past him, he called out, "Corporal."

The wet-behind-the ears boy turned and focused on him, standing ramrod straight, "Yes, Sergeant?"

He gestured to the scene. "Who's that woman?" He watched as the kid turned and squinted against the sun. They both watched as she fixed her hair and laughed at something one of the boys said to her.

"Um...I think that's Carter, sir. Warrant officer."

He nodded and waved him on, "Thanks."

He never did get her first name. Before he had a chance to talk to her, she'd been called away to duty and disappeared amongst the thousands of others on base. Disappointment at the lost chance flowed over him, but he couldn't help but wonder if maybe it was for the best. Things always happened for a reason and this wasn't exactly the place to get into an entanglement.

Maybe their paths weren't meant to cross, but the feeling she left him with stayed with him for a long time after he left the base and the war. For that, he would always be grateful.

* * *

_**New York City 2011**_

He closed his eyes with a sigh.

He couldn't believe his luck.

Sitting in a police precinct in New York City looking and smelling like he had gone ten rounds with a cheap bottle of bourbon, he was pretty sure whoever he'd pissed off so many years ago was now laughing at him. He hadn't shaved in weeks. He hadn't had an actual shower in a while. Basically, he was a complete mess.

Of course he was. Because the woman who'd made such an impression on him nine years ago was, at this very moment, sitting on a desk in front of him. She was looking at him with compassion, with not a hint of pity in her eyes, asking if he needed help. She knew he was ex-military, knew how hard making the transition back to civilian life could be for some. Her heart was in her eyes and the sincerity of her questions proved that he'd been right about her the first time he'd seen her.

How could this even be possible? The chances were remote that he'd even be in the same city with her, but they were astronomical that they would actually meet. And why did it have to be under these circumstances? Why, when he looked and smelled like he'd crawled out of a sewer drain?

Physically, she hadn't changed much over the years; she was still stunningly attractive, but there was something in her eyes he couldn't identify, something a little darker than he remembered. He wished he had the nerve to tell her about their almost-meeting and how it had affected him. About how he had pulled from that memory during some of his lowest moments. He wanted to ask her about herself, but he wasn't the same man he was almost ten years ago either. Not just in the way he looked right now, but inside, in the most important thing that mattered. His heart, the one that had been so open so long ago, was no longer willing to take the chances it once was.

But looking at her now, watching her with hooded, suspicious eyes, he remembered the way she'd made him feel when he'd needed it the most and he was sure he could feel the wall he'd built start to crack.

It couldn't be a coincidence.

It just _couldn't_ be.

He'd learned long ago that there were reasons behind everything that happened in his life. He still believed that.

Even chance meetings that happened ten years and almost seven thousand miles from the last one.

He had a feeling he'd be sticking around the city for a while.

* * *

_**New York City 2013**_

The feeling of déjà vu flowed over him like a warm cloak as he stood in the shadows watching Carter's crime scene.

He _had_ stuck around and for much longer than he'd expected to. Finch had searched him out and given him a job, a purpose. He had a life in New York now. And at the moment, a big part of his life was over in the cold doing what she did best.

This wasn't the lighthearted moment he remembered from eleven years ago, but the situation was so similar, with him watching from the shadows and her doing what she could to help the children devastated by a situation they had no control over, that he felt the same pull to her he'd felt so long ago. It was a feeling he'd grown very familiar with. It was something he held close to his heart. He'd never told anyone about what happened in Afghanistan, not even the woman involved.

They'd come a long way since their introduction in the precinct two years ago. They seemed to understand each other better than he ever expected or hoped. He considered her a friend now, but there had been an underlying...something...between them, even from the beginning. He wasn't sure if it was real or his imagination; he just knew that with her in his life he felt like a better man. He didn't want to lose that feeling. Would he if he told her about seeing her in Bagram? Would she get the wrong idea about them meeting again after so long?

He shook his head, clearing his mind, and turned back to the scene again. Most of it had been cleared already, but she'd stayed behind waiting for relatives to show up and take the kids someplace safe. She was trying to keep their minds off of what they'd seen...their mother being beaten to death by their father. She sat on the steps of the brownstone and talked to them softly, held the little girl as she cried, ran her hand over the boy's hair as he tried to be strong for his sister. Reese knew cases like these were the hardest for her and wanted nothing more than to go to her, but he couldn't, not with the kids still there and the random cops still milling around. He clenched his hands with impatience.

He waited. And watched. And willed the others to leave.

It was freezing outside and she was poorly dressed for the weather. An officer had gone in and gotten coats and a few other things for the children, but no one had thought about her. He wanted to give her his coat, but as he stepped forward another cop went to her and pointed at a couple moving up the walk. The children ran to them and were enveloped in hugs.

Reese stood back and watched her for another moment after they left and the last squad car rolled down the street. She stayed on the steps, her head in her hands. He couldn't tell if she was crying or not, but it didn't matter; he just knew he had to be there with her. He pulled off his overcoat and walked up to her quietly.

"You're going to catch a cold sitting out here dressed like that." He slipped it around her, his hand lingering on her shoulder a moment longer than necessary, and sat down on the step next to her.

He didn't miss the quick swipe of her eyes before she looked over at him. "Thanks. Been a rough one."

He nodded, understanding. "I know, I saw. I'm sorry. You want to get out of here?"

"Yeah."

Reese stood and held out his hand to her. She looked at it and then back up at him. This wasn't something they did and the significance of the gesture didn't go unnoticed by her. Her face softened a little as she grasped his gloved hand and stood, pulling his coat tightly around her.

"You're going to freeze without this." To his surprise, she huddled a little closer to him as they walked.

"I'll be fine; the car is just down the street."

She nodded again and kept her head down. He could tell her mind wasn't on the cold or the coat or even the fact that he was here. He started to question the plan that had started forming when he'd seen her on the steps. Maybe it wasn't the right time. But if not now, when? There was always going to be something that kept him from telling her. Either because of the circumstances or his own fear. He shook his head. No, it was time. She needed to know how much the things she did affected people. She needed to know how much she'd changed his life and he needed to tell her. It was beyond time.

* * *

Reese pulled the car to the curb and shut off the engine. He watched as she looked out the window and her brows knitted together in confusion.

"Where are we?"

"Some place I should have invited you a long time ago." He turned to look at her then and watched the realization dawn on her face.

"You brought me to your home?"

He shifted in the seat, but sent her a small grin. "Yeah. I thought it was time you knew where I lived. And I thought you might not want to go home right now; I know Taylor's home. Your emotions are pretty high right now."

She let out a quiet huff. "I'd probably smother him with hugs after tonight."

He gave in, grasped her hand and squeezed it before letting go and opening the door. "C'mon. I have a bottle of red with our names on it."

"Oh, that sounds perfect..."

* * *

When Reese ushered her into the loft, he tried to hide his grin as her eyes grew wide with awe.

"John..." She spun around slowly, taking in the wide open expanse of the area. "I never would have imagined this place from the looks of the outside; it's beautiful. How did you find it?"

He took his coat from her shoulders and hung it on a hook by the door. "I didn't. It was a birthday gift."

"Finch?" At his nod, she smirked. "Damn. Remind me to drop some hints when mine is about to roll around."

He chuckled, glad that her sense of humor was back. "I'm sure he knows just when it is."

"Good, good..."

As Reese moved into the kitchen for the wine, Carter wandered around absently and stopped at the floor to ceiling windows. She didn't say anything, but he watched as she leaned her head on the glass and took a deep breath.

He moved in behind her quietly and held a glass of wine over her shoulder. She turned and leaned her back against the glass, taking it from him. "Thanks."

He realized with a start how close they were standing to each other. He could smell the faint remnants of her perfume...or shampoo...he wasn't sure which. He just knew that it teased him and made his stomach tighten, but he couldn't bring himself to step back. "Are you OK?" His voice sounded unnaturally soft to him and he wondered if she noticed.

Lifting the glass to her lips and taking a sip, she kept her eyes on him. "Yeah. It's just been a long, rough day." She couldn't help but wonder when the butterflies had taken up residence in her stomach. Or when she had become so aware of him. How tall he was. How good he smelled. How his cheekbones seemed to have their own zip code. How his eyes seemed to pin her in place with their intensity.

Finally, Reese seemed to sense he'd rattled her a little and stepped back. "Why don't we sit."

She could only nod and slid past him, settling on the couch. He sat down next to her, but left some space between them. She could see it in the furrow of his brow; he was trying to figure out a way to tell her something.

"So what's on your mind, John?"

Taking a sip of his wine, he cocked his head in question.

"If you don't want to tell me, that's OK, but you have this look on your face...I dunno..."

He swallowed and crossed one leg over the other in an effort to look nonchalant. He might have looked it, but he didn't feel it. This could either go very well...or really, really wrong.

"How much do you remember about your time in Afghanistan?"

Startled, she laughed. "What? You want to know about something from over ten years ago?"

"Just what you remember."

She sobered a little, her face growing pensive. "I remember all of it. I had some surprisingly positive times there...but also some really awful ones. I lost quite a few friends."

He nodded. They all had someone they'd lost over there.

"Why? What's this about?"

Reese's lips pulled into a thin line and he leaned forward clasping his hands together between his legs. "I want to tell you a story, but I'm not sure how to start."

She wanted to touch him, to help settle his nerves, but she couldn't bring herself to cross the line they'd drawn between them. "Why don't you just start from the beginning."

He fidgeted, his knee bouncing. "You know about what happened with Jess, how I left after 9/11." He didn't wait for her confirmation. He knew she did. "I hadn't been recruited yet, but things were still...difficult, dark...for a long time."

"What happened?" Her voice was quiet, concerned, but he didn't look up at her.

"I wound up at Bagram for a few days as a stopover to somewhere else...and there was a woman there..." He chanced a look at her out of the corner of his eyes, noted her eyebrows had shot up, but she resisted saying anything. He took a deep breath, let it out.

He was so tense, so worried about the telling of this story, she couldn't help her need to lighten things just a bit. "Are you trying to tell me there's a little Reese running around?"

The sudden laugh that came out of him made him choke on his wine. She patted his back and grinned. "Should I take that as a no?"

"No...no long lost children...but thank you for that. I needed the laugh." He gave her a small smile.

"I don't think I've ever seen you so nervous. It's making _me_ nervous. You should know by now that anything you tell me stays between us...and I won't judge you for it."

He nodded. "I know. It's just that this..." He let out a sigh again.

"Talk to me, John. Who was she?"

He lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "I didn't know...at the time. I just knew I wanted to know."

"Why?"

He shifted on the couch, turning his body towards her. "Have you ever had a moment that changed your life, and you knew there was something special about it as it was happening instead of realizing it afterwards?"

"Sure, one or two. They're usually pretty big events. What was yours? Did it have something to do with this woman?" She was intrigued now, he could tell. Always the detective.

He let himself smile. "Honestly, what it _was_ really didn't matter...it was how she made me feel just watching her."

She pulled her feet up under her and rested her head on her arm. "How did she make you feel?"

The corners of his mouth turned up and she could tell from the way his eyes softened that it was a good memory he was reliving. She realized she liked seeing this side of him. "You should smile more."

His head turned toward her quickly, stunned.

The blush covered her cheeks before she could shut it down. She hadn't exactly meant to say that out loud. "Just...tell me...um...tell me more about your mystery woman."

He'd let that go...for _now_.

"Peaceful. That's the feeling that hit me as I watched her. I felt at peace for the first time in a long damned time. I was able to hold that with me when things would get rough."

"So who was she? Did she end up being someone special to you?"

He shook his head. "I was able to find out her last name, but I never got the chance to tell her how much that one moment in time meant to me; I didn't even get to talk to her. But she did end up being someone special to me. She still doesn't know how much she changed my life that day."

Her brow furrowed again. "I don't understand. If you never talked to her, how did she become special to you? Why didn't you ever tell her?"

"Why are you asking all the questions I'm afraid to answer?"

"Why are you afraid to answer _any_ of them? John, c'mon...just spit it out."

He stood and walked a few paces away, keeping his back to her. "Does the children's game 'Duck, Duck, Goose' mean anything to you?"

"Sure. I used to play it with the kids in Afghanistan when I was there."

He swore he heard the click as she put the pieces together. He _did_ hear the gasp and the slap of her hand over her mouth.

He turned to her then. "I know you did. That was my moment. I saw you, watched you play with them."

"Oh my God...when? Why wouldn't you tell me? What were you afraid of?" She was sitting on the edge of the couch now, her hands clasped in front of her.

Reese jammed his hands in his pants pockets. "Mind if I answer one at a time?"

"Sit down and talk to me. This is a story I _know_ I'm gonna wanna hear."

He sat on the coffee table in front of her, his head down, his elbows resting on his knees. "Where do you want me to begin?" He looked straight at her and for the first time since they'd met, he couldn't read her face.

"Again...try the beginning." She watched him nod and take a deep breath. She wanted to take his hands, but she held herself back; he was so tense, she knew he was working himself up for this. She really had no idea why the idea of telling her upset him so much. Did he think she'd be mad he didn't tell her? It wasn't like him to be so unsure of himself. She just wanted to hear the story...then she would decide what to do about it, how to feel.

"It was early September 2002. I'd landed at Bagram a few days earlier. Things were...difficult...for me, for us, then. We'd been on the move for about a year without a break, had seen more than our fair share of firefights, lost a lot of friends, and I was still dealing with leaving Jess. I wandered a lot when I wasn't working with my team. I wasn't very good company most of the time and knew it, so I kept to myself as much as possible. I was walking through the north part of the base, just trying to find something to do, when I heard the laughter and was immediately drawn to it. I was so used to hearing gunfire, people, children, crying, yelling...the laughter...it was such a welcome sound."

He paused and took a sip of the wine, chancing a glance at her. Again, he knew he had her attention, but he couldn't read her face, couldn't tell what she was thinking at all. Taking a deep breath, he set the glass down.

"That's when I saw you and the kids. I watched you for a long time, I can't even tell you how long; I couldn't look away. I just wanted to be around that feeling. I could see it in the eyes of the children; they loved you, Joss...you gave them "normal" for a while. And from the looks of it, you enjoyed being around them too. You smiled a lot. It was infectious. Even caught myself a few times. I finally grabbed a corporal who was walking by and asked him who you were. That's how I got your name. I just wanted to talk to you. Had no idea what to say to you, but by the time I worked up the nerve, you'd been called away. Kept telling myself it was probably for the best, but I was still disappointed. You have absolutely no idea what you did for me...you saved my life that day, I think. I'll always be grateful to you for giving me that one moment of peace. It was such a small thing...and for most people it wouldn't mean what it did to me, but at the time it was so powerful and stayed with me for the rest of my tour."

He looked at her then, trying to gauge her reaction. There were tears in her eyes threatening to spill over. He wasn't sure what to make of them. "Joss?"

She held up a finger, stopping him from continuing, and stood. He watched as she headed to the bank of windows that overlooked the park. For the first time in a very long time, he had no idea what to do.

He watched her back, knowing she could see him in the reflection of the glass, but he stayed where he was. Each moment of silence that ticked by made him more anxious. His knee started to bounce from the nerves.

"John?"

"Yeah?"

She didn't turn around, just lowered her head. "I need to ask you a couple of questions."

"OK."

She turned this time and leaned her back against the glass like she had earlier. "Why did you tell me that story?"

"Because after tonight you needed to hear it. You might not think that the things you do have any effect on people, that they don't do any good in the grand scheme of things, but they do. I wanted you to know how profoundly something you probably didn't think twice about doing affected me without you even knowing. Just like what you did for those kids tonight affected them. It calmed them, helped them start to deal with what happened. They'll remember you, just like I did."

He watched her nod and digest his words and he waited. He would answer anything she asked tonight. Telling her his secret had opened something in him. He wanted, more than anything, to bare his soul to her. It scared him to death; but he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt that he'd be safe with her.

"Our meeting in the precinct..."

Reese stood at the question, knowing what she was asking, and shook his head. "Pure coincidence, nothing more. I know that's hard to believe, but it's the truth."

She turned away from him and wrapped her arms around herself. "I _am_ having a hard time believing that. Someone of your skill and resources could have easily found me."

He closed his eyes. This...this was what he'd been afraid of...that she'd think he'd been stalking her all this time. "You're right..."

She spun around, her eyes wide...

"...I could have easily found you, but I didn't look for you. You were just a sweet memory for me. You remember the condition I was in when we met, don't you? I wasn't exactly at my best." He flashed a smile and cocked his head, catching her eyes.

That got a small chuckle out of her. "Yeah, I remember. But, why didn't you tell me then?"

He took a few steps closer to her. "Because you didn't know me. To you, I was just a bum who'd had a fight on a subway. You wouldn't have trusted me. And then trying to convince you that it was a coincidence? No, you would have thought I was crazy. But now...now you know me; you know me better than anyone ever has. I hope you know I wouldn't do that to you."

She nodded. "I _do_ know that."

He let out a breath of relief. "I was so shocked at seeing you again. It was almost like the sign I needed."

"A sign?" She pressed herself back against the glass as he moved closer to her. The look in his eyes...it was one she'd never seen before.

"Yeah, a sign. I was slowly killing myself. Either subconsciously or on purpose, I can't tell you. But seeing you again, realizing you'd made it safely home, that you'd done well for yourself...it gave me hope. I didn't know anything about you. I just knew seeing you again brought back everything I'd felt the first time I saw you. You've saved my life twice and you don't even know it."

She looked up at him, a slow smile gracing her lips. "I would say we're even now, don't you?"

He took a chance and ran his hand down her arm, taking her hand. "We're not even close to being even. I owe you more than I'll ever be able to repay." He pressed her hand against his chest, over his heart.

"John..." Her eyes grew wide with the touch, her heart hammered in her own chest. Now she knew what the look in his eyes had been. He was opening up not only his past, but his heart, too. It terrified her. John Reese never did anything halfway.

But just as she thought that, he stepped up and pressed his hand against the glass of the window next to her head. He still held her other hand against him.

"Relax, Joss, I'm not making a move on you..." He heard her sigh, whether in relief or disappointment, he didn't know. He pulled her hand up to his lips and kissed it gently. "...tonight."

Her eyes shot to his in surprise.

The smirk she was so familiar with curled his lips up. "Don't look so shocked."

"John...I..."

He leaned in, brushing his nose against her cheek, his grip on her hand tightening. "There's been something between us for a long time, Joss; I know you've felt it."

He felt her stiffen and pulled away slowly to look at her. "It took me a while to realize what I was feeling was something more than gratitude or respect or friendship. I'm a little slow in this area sometimes."

"Yeah, me too." She pressed her head against his chest and let out a quick laugh. "I'm not sure what to say..."

His arms came around her and he kissed the top of her head. "You don't have to say anything. I didn't plan on saying anything at all. But now that I have, now that you know..." he shrugged and grinned. "I'm not sure what to say either."

She pulled back and looked up at him, smiling. "We're pathetic, aren't we?"

"Pathetic?" He laughed. "No, just out of practice."

"Yeah, let's go with that."

If he understood anything about Jocelyn Carter, it was that she had to mull things over before discussing them. "Come on. Let's finish the wine and then I'll take you home." She only nodded; he knew she was still a little shell shocked from his story and admission. He could be patient. He had been so far...

* * *

They sat in the car outside Carter's brownstone. It was quiet, both of them trying to figure out what to say about what had happened between them tonight.

"Joss?"

She turned to look at him, his face barely illuminated by the streetlights. "Yeah..."

"Thank you. Thank you for listening tonight. I'll admit to being worried about your reaction, but I'm glad I told you." He didn't look at her, but she could see his hands...they were resting on his thighs, and he gripped the fabric of his pants tightly.

She covered one of his hands with hers. "I'm glad you told me, too. I don't want you to ever be afraid to tell me anything...regardless of anything else, we're friends."

He nodded. "I know."

"That being said..."

He felt her fingers on his chin, turning his head towards her. She was so close. He wasn't prepared to feel her lips on his so gently. It didn't last nearly long enough. It was a soft, sweet first kiss. Not how he expected their first kiss to be. It was better.

When she pulled away, she leaned her forehead against his. "Thank you for telling me...everything...tonight." She looked at him then, her fingers brushing over his lips. "I know there's something here...I can feel it too. The question is, what do we do about it?"

He reached for her hand, weaving their fingers together. "We figure it out as we go, like normal people." He chuckled as he said it, knowing she'd call him on it.

She pulled their hands to her mouth and kissed his wrist, smiling against it. "Normal? Us? There's nothing normal about this...but we _are_ a pretty good team."

He spread his fingers out and ran them over her cheek, smiling as she leaned into him, her eyes closing. All he had to do was lean in just a little bit and he would feel her lips on his again. He wanted it more than his next breath, but something held him back. The rules had changed...the barrier, gone. But he still felt like he needed to exercise some control, take things slow, let the idea of them sink in.

"We are. Nothing has to change there, even if things change on a...personal level." He shifted in the seat and turned towards her.

"Pretty sure they've already changed." She smiled into the dark, glad that it covered the blush coloring her cheeks.

He leaned over and kissed the side of her head. "Maybe not as much as you'd think. We'll figure it out, Joss, just...we'll have to be patient."

She looked up at him, caught his eyes. "Patient?"

He nodded and pressed his lips gently to her forehead. He couldn't seem to stop once the wall had been removed between them. "Yes, patient. We might be a good team in some aspects, but this...we'll have to get used to this. Out of practice, remember? We're going to butt heads and argue and basically drive Finch up the wall."

She giggled and the sound, something he didn't hear from her often, made him grin. "Oh, but that might be fun."

"It might be until he's had enough and decides to ruin your credit rating for a while."

That shut her up, but she was still grinning, trying not to laugh. He was sure part of it was nerves; he was feeling the same sort of...giddiness.

"C'mon, let's get you inside. Taylor's probably wondering what we're doing out here." He lifted his eyebrows at her and smiled, earning him a smack on the arm.

Before she could gather her bag and get out of the car, John made it to the passenger side and opened her door, holding out his hand to her. He was grinning like a fool and, when she looked up at him, she couldn't help the grin that seemed to mirror his.

She shook her head, still smiling. "This is gonna be weird."

He took her hand, helping her out of the car, and held her close to him. "Patience, Joss, remember?"

"I know, I know...patience. _So_ not my strong suit."

He brushed her cheek with his. "The two most powerful warriors are patience and time."

She gripped his hips and sighed. "That's deep."

"That's Tolstoy. Smarter than I look." He pulled back and winked at her. Taking her hand, he walked her to the stairs leading to her building.

She stepped up and turned to him, stuffing her hands in her jacket pockets, not sure what to do or say. When she looked at him, she realized they were face to face. "Well...damn it...this _is_ gonna be..."

Before she could finish, Reese took hold of her hip and pulled her to him, covering her mouth with his. Slowly tasting, teasing, learning. Her arms wound around his waist and she leaned into him, a sigh escaping her.

Reluctantly, Reese pulled away, but kept his arm around her. "Still weird?"

"Weirder. But..."

"But?"

She let go of him and backed up a step, reaching out to run the back of her hand over his jaw. As she turned, she grinned at him over her shoulder.

"I think I could get used to it pretty quickly." She winked and waved. "Night, John. I'm sure we'll talk tomorrow."

"Count on it."

_**END**_


End file.
